Tuğrul Türkeş

Yıldırım Tuğrul Türkeş (born 1 December 1954) is a Turkish economist and politician, who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey from 28 August 2015 to 19 July 2017. He first joined the interim election government formed by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on 28 August 2015 as a Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) politician. He later defected to the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and was elected as an MP for the AKP in the November 2015 general election, continuing to serve as Deputy Prime Minister in the subsequent AKP majority government. He has been a Member of Parliament for Ankara's first electoral district since the 2007 general election and is the eldest son of the MHP's founder Alparslan Türkeş. He is the former leader of the Bright Turkey Party (ATP), which he led from 1997 to 2002.

Following unsuccessful coalition negotiations between political parties after the June 2015 general election resulted in a hung parliament, Türkeş was offered a ministerial position in the formation of an interim election cabinet. Although his party was entitled to three ministries in the interim cabinet, the MHP announced its intention to not take part. Despite his party's decision, Türkeş accepted the invitation, drawing strong criticism from his party. He was referred to the MHP Disciplinary Board on 27 August 2015 and was formally suspended from the MHP on 5 September 2015. With his suspension, the MHP was left with 79 seats in Parliament and fell behind the HDP to become the smallest parliamentary group.